Eagle River Band coming to town

Group to perform next Saturday

April 25, 2014

Estherville residents will be in for a special treat when the Eagle River Band comes to the VFW Post 3388 from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, May 3.

As part of Iowa High School Rodeo weekend, the Eagle River Band offers something for just about everyone - from current and old-time country to classic and cutting-edge rock plus their own original music.

Their repertoire includes:

n Ain't Going Down - Garth Brooks.

n All Summer Long - Kid Rock.

n Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen.

n Beautiful - Eagle River.

n Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley.

n Brown-Eyed Girl - Van Morrison.

n Calling All Angels - Train.

n Copperhead Road - Steve Earle.

Since they came together in 2001 the band has played on the same stage as

Band leader Nathan Crawford, who does lead vocals and plays acoustic guitar, graduated from McNally Smith College of Music in 1998 and played with Dakota Sun and Code before forming the band.

Pat Higgins, lead guitar and vocals, has played the Twin Cities for over 10 years. A McNally Smith College of Music graduate, he has performed with Mike Terrio, Dazy Head Mazy, Hallaballoo, The Flipside, the S.O.B.'s and Eagle River.

Colin Roegiers, bass and backing vocals, has played bass professionally for over 10 years. During that time he has performed, recorded and toured with Gingerjake, Sweet Siren, Suicide Blonde, Gypsy Rogues, Lochstepp, Halleballoo and others. In 2005 he completed his A.A.S. degree and technical diploma in audio recording and production through Hennepin Technical College and is now finishing his B.A. in music performance through McNally Smith College of Music. He currently owns and operates Old Soul Productions, LLC. His other current projects include working as a studio engineer and producer at Waterbury Studios in Minneapolis as well as writing, recording and producing his own album.

Derek Abrams, drums, has also played for more than 10 years with bands like Gingerjake, Dahniel Knight and Black Flood Diesel in addition to sharing the stage with Candlebox, Collective Soul, Vince Neil and Alice in Chains. He currently teaches at the School of Rock in St. Paul, Minn.

"We're not as uptight as most bands," said Crawford on a photo interview, adding that the band takes requests.

Once touring the entire country, Crawford said all the band members - all between 33-37 - have families so Estherville is actually one of the further venues they play.

And if you're interested in the origin of the band's name, Crawford said it came from a suggestion by his ex-girlfriend who saw the postmark 'Eagle River' on an envelope and thought it would be a good name. And, while the girlfriend didn't stick, the name Eagle River did.

"We're all pretty down-to-earth guys," Crawford said, adding that the group prefers playing in smaller towns to large cities.